


Straight from the Boot

by MagicRobot



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: 1920s, Alcohol, Alternate Universe, Gen, M/M, Minor Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-18
Updated: 2015-04-18
Packaged: 2018-03-23 11:50:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,963
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3767077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MagicRobot/pseuds/MagicRobot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lovino Vargas just wants to make an honest living as a bootlegger. Unfortunately, his partner is a walking disaster. 1920s Prohibition AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Straight from the Boot

**Author's Note:**

> Cassowarykisses introduced me to this amazing idea of Lovino being a bootlegger and Alfred is his dopey sidekick who always gets them into trouble. And since I love the 1920s, I played around with the initial idea a little bit and came up with this. Might write more if there's enough interest.
> 
> Also: Lars is the Netherlands, Bella is Belgium, Sofia is Ukraine, and Luthor is Luxembourg. 
> 
> Check the end notes for some footnotes!

Lovino was going to  _kill_  him, if the mobsters at the other end of the street didn’t get to him first. He knew he shouldn’t have trusted any contact that Alfred claimed as reliable. “He’s friends with my brother, up in Canada,” he had said, with that charming smile that Lovino loathed yet could never refuse, “makes quality whiskey using potatoes. Imagine that!”

So far, their meeting with one Gilbert Beilschmict consisted of him hiding behind some dilapidated building, desperately praying that the gaggle of men would eventually run out of bullets. His pistol hung loosely in his left hand, barrel empty and useless. It didn’t matter anyway, the gang had brought in heavier artillery - Tommy guns.

Alfred had disappeared somewhere at the beginning of the fighting, shouting something that Lovino could catch. Fucking coward probably left him to die. Asshole.

Shouting came echoing around Lovino’s hiding spot, followed soon by the  ceasing of bullet fire. A strangled yell came after and Lovino cautiously poked his head around the corner of the building. He held his useless gun out in front of him for security.

He spotted a flash of blonde hair. Lovino glared.  _Bastard._

Alfred was crouched behind a car, one of the men laid unconscious at his feet. Lovino noted that he managed to wrestle a gun from the downed man’s hands. A new barrage of gunfire exploded, aimed exclusively at Alfred. The man in question was biding his time, staying hidden while the men continued to waste bullets trying to hit him. Among Alfred’s many talents, he was also incredibly fast.

Lovino watched with bated breath. His hand shook despite himself.  _This dumb kid was going to get himself killed._

Just as Lovino hoped, though, he heard the stuttering “click, click,” of an empty clip. Alfred creeped over the hood of the car, aiming quickly, expertly taking down the remaining gangsters. As well as being fast, he was also an excellent shot. His three talents: fast, a good shot, and a giant idiot. 

That infuriating grin was back, aimed at Lovino’s hiding spot. Alfred gave a small wave, the Tommy gun precariously perched on the the roof. 

“You can come out now, Lovi, the bad guys are all gone.”

–

Lovino only asked for two things in life: a consistent paycheck and the ability to survive another day. Bootlegging wasn’t exactly the best suited for either of those stipulations, but he managed to make enough to live comfortably and send some extra on occasion to Feliciano to help him through art school. In truth, the work wasn’t all that dangerous as long as he was careful. Unfortunately, Alfred tended to complicate matters.

“Relax, Lovino, we still managed to get a whole barrel,” Alfred placated, eating an apple with an easy air about him. He leaned against the frame of Lovino’s car, his top half almost completely detached from the interior.

“I hope you fall out, you dumb bastard,” mumbled Lovino, even as he reached over to sit Alfred properly. In return, Alfred grinned sheepishly, taking another bite of his fruit.

“Did you forget about the part where you led us into an ambush?” Lovino nearly shouted, gritting his teeth in a vain attempt to keep his temper in check. He sped down the road, driving even more recklessly than usual, even though he was dreading returning to the pharmacy. Lars was going to kill him for only returning with one barrel when he paid for three.

“Hey, my brother is a good kid. How was I supposed to know that his friend would be an asshole?” Alfred finished his lunch, tossing the remaining core out the window.

Lovino growled. “It was sloppy. You should have never trusted someone you didn’t know personally.”

“But you were the one who went along with it!” A sharp turn nearly had Alfred carailing into the street. He yelped, grasped at his seat to steady himself. He glared at Lovino’s smirk.

“Okay, I’m sorry, I’ll be more careful next time.” Both of them knew that was a tentative promise at best, but it was good enough for Lovino. For now.

–

Benelux Pharmaceuticals looked like any other pharmacy in the country: a big brick building with large windows to easily see into and a cheerfully painted sign that hung over the door declaring its name. The inside was clean, with large mahogany shelves lined with dark colored bottles with the names of various health aids decorating the front. All in all, it was very low-key, nothing out of the ordinary, unless someone happened to discover that most of those bottles were empty.  

Usually, the only one who managed the front was Luthor, who preferred the quiet to the noisy bar downstairs. He was missing today. Instead, the bar maiden, Bella ,had taken up post there, flipping through a collection of papers strewn across the counter top. Sofia, one of the waitresses, sat on one of the stools, chatting amicably with her.

There was no sign of Lars. Their boss tended to lurk around the pharmacy during the day. Lovino gave a sigh of relief. He would eventually have to confront Lars, but he’d rather take some time to gather his thoughts beforehand. At least Bella was here.

He liked Bella, even considered her something of a friend. She was thew friendliest out of her three siblings and had a way of putting Lovino at ease. He didn’t know much about Sofia, though from what little he did know, she seemed like a sweet woman.

“Hey, Lovi,” greeted Bella. She waved him over, clearing a space for him at the counter. Lovino ceased his lurking by the front door, sliding into the stool gratefully. He gave a friendly smile to her, nodding at Sofia.

Bella glanced at his ragged clothing and exhausted expression. She winced in sympathy. “I take it things didn’t go too well.”

“Only got one barrel. Nearly got killed trying to get it home.”

A gasp came from Sofia. She carefully patted Lovino’s shoulder in a comforting gesture. He subconsciously leaned into the gentle touch, smiling softly at Sofia.

“Well, you just missed Lars. He and Luthor just went out to collect some barrels for Ivan. Sofia has been helping me organize paperwork.” She nodded toward the stack of papers between her and Sofia. Up close, it was easier to tell that they were prescription receipts for various alcohols, all signed by one Doctor Ivan Braginsky. 

“Our sister is finally coming over,” chimed in Sofia. Lovino vaguely remembered her mentioning to him one time that she still had a sibling stuck in Russia. “He wanted to have a nice dinner for her arrival.”

Lovino nodded. He didn’t have much to say about the good doctor. He had met him once while running an errand with Lars. The most he could tell out of him was that he was very big and very Russian. Even if he was Sofia’s brother, whom Lovino was quickly beginning to like, he still couldn’t shake his unease with Ivan.

Still, Lovino couldn’t complain too much. Ivan was the bulk of the reason why he had a job in the first place. The Benelux siblings ran a lucrative alcohol business, with their pharmacy acting as cover. Ivan provided their customers with the necessary prescriptions to buy their product and in return, only ask for a portion of their inventory every once in a while. It was pure luck that the doctor was much more of a drinker than a profiteer.

Of course, the pharmacy was only a small part in the business. The speakeasy was the pride and joy of the family.

“Where’s Alfred? He’s usually following you around like a puppy.” Bella giggled.

Lovino gave a sour look. “Unloading with Antonio.” He reached behind the counter, claiming a small vial of some unknown liquid. It stung the back of his throat when he took a long swing. The brew was potent and he coughed as he placed the vial back under the counter.

Bella ‘tsk’ed. “Go relax, I’ll let you know when the boys return.”

–

The speakeasy didn’t open until late at night, when its patrons could be disguised through the cover of darkness. It was situated in an old cellar, only accessible through a hidden latch in the pharmacy. Antonio manned the entrance, keeping trouble out and keeping a look out for the authorities. Even so, Lovino recognized several off-duty cops among the crowd, obviously here for pleasure instead of business.

Tonight, the bar was quieter. A few flapper girls were noted with their shiny outfits, although none of of them were dancing, simply socializing. The bulk of the patrons were tired workers from the city, drinking steadily from their glasses.

Lovino preferred to stay out of the bar. It was too crowded for his tastes and he wasn’t much of a drinker in the first place. However, tonight, he made an exception, on his third round of drinks already.

“Shouldn’t you slow down?” cautioned Alfred, nursing his own drink. They were hidden away in one of the darker booths, away from most of the crowd. “Lars should be here any minute.”

Bella had warned the two of them about Lars’ return a short while ago, telling them that Lars would be meeting them down here after he finished up with Luthor. Lovino was understandably on edge, awaiting the inevitable. He ignored Alfred, finishing his drink and waving at Sofia to bring him another.

Grasping at Lovino’s waving hand, Alfred patted it gently in a placating manner. “Everything’s gonna be fine. I’m sure Lars will understand.”

The alcohol had softened Lovino’s irritation with Alfred’s headless optimism. Still, he snorted derisively into his empty glass. Finally, Sofia returned with his new drink. He decided to sip more delicately this time around.

“You obviously don’t fully grasp how attached Lars is to his money.” Alfred was fairly new to the company and had only interacted with Lars to get assigned jobs so far. In truth, Lovino had never seen Lars angry, but then again, Lovino had never failed a job as poorly as he did this one.

“Lars is a good guy, I’m sure you’ll be fine.” Lovino didn’t bother to remind him that he had said the same thing about his brother.

As if on cue, a dark shadow descended on the table. Lovino downed the rest of his glass, sliding his eyes up to Lars’ severe countenance. Lars was often frowning, but in his drunken state, Lars came across as twice as intimidated as normal.

“I heard about what happened,” said Lars. He reached into his back packet, taking out a pack of cigarettes. He lit one casually, puffing into the already smokey air. “I paid sixty dollars for three barrels and you only returned with one. It’s not like you to be so careless.”

Lovino nodded solemnly. He didn’t bother trying to defend himself.

“It was my fault, sir,” interrupted Alfred. “I was the one who gave Lovino the connection. None of this would have happened if I didn’t do that.”

Lars looked between the two of them slowly, from Lovino’s surprised face, to Alfred’s more defiant one. He took another puff of his cigarette. “I figured as much, but Lovino should know better. I’m docking the difference from both of your salaries. Don’t let this happen again.” Lars finished his cigarette, stubbing it out on the edge of the table, wandering off to go talk to his sister.

Lovino let out a breath that he didn’t realize he was holding. Alfred gave a small laugh, clapping Lovino on the shoulder. “See, that wasn’t so bad!”

“Shut up, you bastard.”

“Don’t be that way, Lovi. Here, I’ll even cover the next round. It’s the least I could do.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> Some history notes so people don’t get confused: 
> 
> -The term “bootlegger” is said to have originated during the Civil War, when soldiers would often smuggle small bottles of alcohol in their boots. Hence, the title.
> 
> -Prohibition was also in swing in Canada, but it was never put in place under a federal level. Laws were set up by Providence, which many of them did. However, unlike in the US, it was completely legal to manufacture alcohol for the purpose of export. Hence, alcohol trade became very popular between both sides of the border.
> 
> -A loophole within Prohibition laws made it legal for alcohol to be sold for medicinal purposes, however, it could only be bought via a prescription from a medical doctor. Many people took advantage of this fact, popping up pharmacies all over the place.
> 
> -You can indeed make whiskey from potatoes. It’s a popular practice among the Irish, not Germans, but I couldn’t resist.


End file.
